Last month, e-commerce giants Temu and Shein

Subtle hand signs likewise coordinate the hundreds of pounding drummers in each of the glitzyThe roughly 70,000 spectators filling the bleachers each of the three nights of parades will be eager to see flamboyant costumes, towering floats and jaw-dropping dancers passing by. But for many

, drums are the beating heart of the party. And the maestro’s hand swings, flicks, twists and pointing transform potential cacophony into transcendent synchrony.Percussionists play instruments known the world over — snare and bass drums — but also traditional local instruments like the tamborim hand drum, the cuica friction drum, the double-sided repique, metal shakers known as chocalhos and the agogo, a two-headed cowbell originating in West Africa.Performers from the Unidos de Padre Miguel samba school dance during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Performers from the Unidos de Padre Miguel samba school dance during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)The Mocidade Independente samba school, one of Rio’s most popular, has 240 drummers in its section.

Based in the working-class

, on the city’s west side, Mocidade is known for its trained drummers and legendary drum masters, like José Pereira da Silva, nicknamed “Mestre André.” Six decades ago, he created the “little stop,” a percussion break during the parade while revelers continue singing. The technique is used to highlight key parts of a samba school’s lyrics.In St. Louis, five people died and 38 were injured as the storm system swept through on Friday, according to Mayor Cara Spencer. More than 5,000 homes in the city were affected, she said.

On Sunday, city inspectors were going through damaged areas to condemn unsafe structures, Spencer said. She asked for people not to sightsee in damaged areas.A tornado that started in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton traveled at least 8 miles (13 kilometers), had 150-mph (241-kph) winds and had a maximum width of 1 mile (1.6 kilometers), according to the weather service. It touched down in the area of Forest Park, home to the St. Louis Zoo and the site of the 1904 World’s Fair and the Olympic Games that same year.

In Scott County, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) south of St. Louis, a tornado killed two people, injured several others and destroyed multiple homes, Sheriff Derick Wheetley wrote on social media.The weather system spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin and temporarily enveloped parts of Illinois — including Chicago — in a pall of dust.